Sale Of Lewd Items Banned

DIGEST

HILLSBORO BEACH — Worried about becoming a red-light district, Broward's richest town on Tuesday passed a law making it illegal to sell anything "lewd."

Commissioners unanimously passed a law that, besides prohibiting strip clubs, would also prohibit the sale of adult magazines and videos.

Officials said the law, which bans "commercial exploitation of explicit sexual conduct," is designed to stop Hillsboro Beach from becoming inundated with strip clubs as the area near Lighthouse Point on Federal Highway has become.

The only property zoned for commercial use in the town is The Waterfront Restaurant, which is closed.

The 12-page ordinance cites 14 examples of sexual behavior that cannot be featured in commercial publications, exhibits or shows, because they are "lewd."

Among the examples is homosexual sex.

Hillsboro Beach, with a population of about 1,750 and a median single-family home value of more than $600,000, is the county's wealthiest municipality.